Bad Luck
by Clumsy Ninja
Summary: The new student in Beacon Hills may be more than she appears, which isn't much since she strives to be invisible. Until she finally speaks to her infatuation, a certain Stilinkski, and gets pulled into the Wolf Pack world. Or rather, dives into it head first, dragging her best friend behind her. (Initial IsaacxOC, eventual StilesxOC; starting at Second Season)
1. Scent

Two girls were sitting on a picnic table outside of their favourite café, munching on their lunch. It was a little out of place for their age, seeing as most people were whispering about what had happened to Lydia Martin the night before. They didn't seem very bothered by it. One of the girls sitting on top of the table, Indian style; sandwich in her lap as she stared disinterested at the few people who were eating outside. Her face kept contorting in annoyance every time her long hair blew into her mouth as she attempted to take a bite. "GAH!" she cried out, shaking her fist in the direction of the oncoming breeze. "I really hate the wind sometimes."

She received an absentminded pat on the knee from her friend, hand almost fully hidden beneath the worn sleeve of her hoodie. "Nana, you only say that whenever it isn't in your favour. Any other time, you're gushing. 'Oh, I love the wind so much!'" her friend mocked, clasping her hands beside her jaw, gazing off longingly into the distance. Until she received a shove and it turned into a smirk, tossing her bangs out of her eyes with a shake of her head.

"Oh shut up Cassie, I don't look like tha-" she suddenly stopped mid-sentence, her muscles tightening, her mouth screwing into a grimace. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she seemed to not breathe. Her petite friend swiveled naturally to look in the direction the wind was coming from, watching a tall, curly-haired boy disappear around a corner.

"Isaac's gone. Is it really that bad?"

The response was delayed as breaths were exaggeratedly taken in, shoulders rolling as if trying to shrug something off that wasn't there. Her dark grey eyes looked up to the side in thought, fingers tapping on the table. "I don't think I can explain what he smells like. It's kind of acrid, and stings, but also kind of like…just sad. I'd say he smells like despair? I don't like it; it makes me depressed, knowing someone is feeling like that, you know?" she replied, chewing her top lip in thought. "It almost makes me want to cry. But I can't tell if it's the feeling or the smell itself…"

Her freckled companion nodded solemnly, looking back at the door. "My sister may be an asshole, but at least she's never made me feel like that. Definitely not since you moved here," Cassie said, slipping an earbud into her ear.

"I should hope so…" the dark haired girl responded, her eyes squinting to just slits. They relaxed as her thoughts wandered, finally biting into her sandwich. "Should we go see Lydia in the hospital?"

She received a stare through heavy red bangs. "The girl who never looks at us twice? Or if she does it's a judging look? That Lydia? The one who is also unconscious. Or perhaps," she quipped, a sly smile crossing her lips as she slowly, almost unnoticeably took her legs out from under the bench. "You just hope you'll bump into the guy who is practically obsessed with her? Although, you're basically equally obsessed with that awkweird guy!"

Her voice trailed into almost a squeak as she jumped from the table as her friend lunged at her, almost falling off the table.

Four days later, they were back in school. Now filled with whispers of where Lydia had been, naked for days. The girls were at their lockers, not invited to any whispering, although they would have declined to participate. "Well," Cassie sighed, closing her locker with a definite bang. "My sister will be happy to steal Queen Bee status from her, now that everyone thinks she's a nutjob. Though, I never understood how a Junior was threatened by a sophomore, but whatever."

"I don't know, I don't pretend to know how High School works," the tall girl replied, shrugging her shoulders and turning on her heel to walk to class – right into a person.

"Oh jeez! So, so…rry?" she started, looking up into a familiar face. "Isaac?"

He nodded his curly head, looking at her quizzically. "Sorry about that…Naja? That's it right? I wasn't really paying attention."

It took her a minute to stop staring at him, lip curled in confusion. A quiet kick from a booted foot brought her back to reality, a sheepish smile trying to cover her weird expression. "No, I normally am really good at knowing when people are behind me, it's my bad, don't worry about it. Sorry, again," she apologized, waving a hand over her shoulder as she forcibly dragged her friend away at a fairly fast pace. She didn't stop walking until she was halfway down the next hallway. "What the hell was that?!" she whisper-shouted, eyes wide, craning her neck to see if Isaac was within earshot.

"I dunno, you couldn't smell him? Normally you smell him like…five feet away," the shorter girl queried, adjusting her plaid shirt which was slightly pulled out of shape from being dragged.

"That's just it – he didn't smell like anything, not fear, sadness, despair. Nothing!"

Her confused tirade would have continued, except she was now looking past her friend, to a couple down the hall. The guy walked away, smug as anything, and the girl looked as if she were on the verge of tears. Before she could be stopped, she marched over there, attempting to make it look casual, and plucked her purse's strap like a bass line as she tried to comfort the most popular girl in school. "Hey Lydia, I'm sorry he's such an asshole. Nobody deserves to be treated like that, especially after what you just went through…whatever that was…exactly…"

She had started off strong, but had faltered when the strawberry-blonde female stared at her like she had seven heads. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" came the retort, lips pursed as the welled tears in her eyes disappeared.

"Well, I thought you might kind of remember me. I've been in most of your classes just after the start of the school year…I had like, an introduction and everything. Naja Dinan, from Africa…" Naja began, winding up for a full rant about how just because she didn't like to party, people didn't remember her. Thankfully she was stopped when her friend walked up behind her.

"Lydia," she greeted with a nod, otherwise expressionless.

"Cassandra," a nod repeated, as well as a change in posture. "How's your sister?"

"Still a pain in the ass," Cassie replied, shrugging her shoulders and tugging Naja's bag. "We should get to class."

The two girls walked away, one still steaming, the other chiding her for drawing attention to herself; leaving Lydia with an odd smile on her face.


	2. Mountain Lions and Transformations

"Hey, did you see Erica today?"

Cassie snorted, tossing her USB drive up in the air and catching it before it hit her face. "I think she would have been impossible to miss. I think I actually heard the smack of jaws hitting the floor. I get that it was a makeover and whatever but," she paused to roll onto her stomach, staring at her friend who was sitting on the floor. "Did her tits look bigger to you? Like, is that a thing?"

Naja burst out laughing, tossing an eraser at the freckle-faced girl. "No, no I don't think it's a thing. Maybe she was just wearing a push-up bra or something. Apparently the bite gives you confidence, or some weird crap. Although, look at Isaac-"

"Before he was a fugitive."

"Yes, before he was a fugitive, he was practically glowing with new life. Maybe it's just the effect it has on impressionable teens," she continued, fully used to interjections by now. "Although, stealing that guy's apple was weird. And then just leaving. That's not normal right?"

"No, it's not. Not even regular teenager weird, promise," was the response, a hand held up in an oath-like manner. There was a short silence, the only sound being the pencil Naja was using to do her Chemistry homework pressing to the paper. "But…why couldn't you tell Isaac was a wolf when you bumped into him? Didn't he smell like one?"

A sharp exhale from her nostrils showed her displeasure at the question. "It's not like I know what a werewolf smells like, in general. It's not the same as the scent of a person, or a feeling. And," a finger was held up as she continued to write in her notebook. "Scott didn't really help. I mean, I know what his scent is; I sit beside him every day. But to separate the wolf scent, I needed a comparison. Now I know what it smells like."

More silence as Cassie pondered what smelling people so intently would be like, and Naja pondered hydrocarbons. Being someone who never needed to study; and only did the work when it would be checked, the pixie-haired girl always became ever so bored when she was there to help her best friend with hers. She rolled around some more on her friend's bed, the shirt tied around her waist getting all tangled until she stopped, a slightly evil grin creeping over her face. "You know, a certain dimple-faced boy also had his jaw hit the floor today. How uh, how'd you feel about that?"

A withering glare challenged her grin, but was followed by an exaggerated shoulder roll, pretending not to care. "Yeah well. I bet if I dressed like that, and not in chunky sweaters, Stiles would look at me like that too. But…it's cold. Where is my jungle climate. Or the Savannah. What is this ten degree weather," she griped, wrinkling her nose in disgust. Putting pencil back down to paper, she sighed. "Besides, he's going skating with Lydia today. Well, and Scott and Allison. But obviously he's trying to get Lydia to notice him."

"…you really need to stop creeping their conversations Nana. I mean, one, it's a huge invasion of their privacy," the lecture began, ticking off a finger for each point. "Two, it's really creepy. Three, what if you brought up something you couldn't possibly have heard when you actually talk to him, and he gets all suspicious and stuff. And four, when it's things like that, you can get sad. What if you listened in on a conversation between him and Scott, and he was saying he'd boned a chick? Hm? What then?"

Grey eyes blinked an unreadable expression blankly at the girl, before turning their attention back to the textbook. "Well obviously I'd go tear the girl to pieces. And then go cry in the corner like a regular person. After burning the evidence, of course," came the explanation, a little too naturally. "…although, with all the murders that get covered up as animal attacks, I could probably just leave it in the middle of a public place and people would be like, 'Oh, damn mountain lions again.' And then go on with their lives."

They giggled about that for a while, and suddenly Naja sat up straight, eyes wide, looking around the room. "Did you hear that?"

"Was it my stomach growling? Because that I heard."

"No, it sounded like Lydia…but that doesn't make any sense. We're nowhere near the ice rink. Oh well, I must have heard something else…"

"Yeah, like maybe my sister singing outside of the soundproof room," Cassie joked, sitting up on the bed. "Just kidding, then you'd be doing whatever she wanted."

Laughing, Naja stood, stretching a big long stretch before patting her friend on the head. "Since I'm not a mindless zombie, how about I make some dinner – your growling stomach is breaking my concentration."


	3. Swimming In The Dark

(A/N : I know he doesn't have any bruise on his head, however, the force which Erica would have been needed to knock him unconscious would have left a mark.)

It had been all around school that Stiles Stilinski had discovered a murder victim at the garage. All through Economics, Naja had been thinking of how to talk to him. Should she pretend to be all scared and worried and innocent sounding? No, that wouldn't be her, and she didn't want him to think she was fake. Maybe something about how a lot of people seemed to die in this town, compared to other ones she'd lived in. Except the Savannah, there was just a lot of death there. Though that was mainly animals killing other animals. For food. To survive.

"I just have no idea how to talk to normal people."

The fairly blunt statement was delivered while walking to Chemistry with Cassie, a defeated look on her face. Everyone seemed to know each other, and even those who didn't, like Allison - who was even more new than she was - seemed to gel better than her. She attributed that to growing up on another continent.

"Just do it. 'That sucks about that dead guy, and your Jeep,'" was the advice she received, accompanied by a shrug. "What's going to happen? Him ignore you? You know he isn't like that."

With the new found confidence boost, she sat down in Chemistry, determined to talk to him. Though she was still struggling for the right words, the bruise on the side of his head gave her the segue she needed. "Hey, Stiles?" she half whispered across the lab bench, waiting until he turned towards her. "What happened to your head?" She reached out towards him, but pulled her hand back to touch her own temple. "Is it from the…incident last night?"

He squinted in confusion for a beat, before mouthing an 'ohhh', and shaking his head. "No, the uh, guy was already dead. Nothing dangerous, to me was there. Only a dead guy." He laughed awkwardly, shifting his gaze side to side. "I just," he paused to gingerly touch the welt on his temple. "Hit my head on my Jeep."

He wore a sour expression as he reflected on something, which gave Naja the feeling that he wasn't telling her the truth. But she wasn't a mind reader, and was desperate to continue the dialogue. "That sucks, and about your Jeep – I saw Scott give you a ride today," she followed quickly, trying not to sound too creepy.

He nodded in agreement, then actually looked at her. Not the way just when you're talking, but as if he was seeing her for the first time, or trying to recall something from the past. "You're from South Africa right? Why no accent?"

She laughed a little, rolling her eyes. "You'd be surprised how often I get asked that. But I wasn't only in South Africa – I lost my accent a little bit ago. I mean, I still say things like lift, instead of elevator, sammie instead of sandwich. I sometimes still say 'izit?'instead of 'is it,' or 'really,'" the girl explained, a smile playing about her lips.

"That's right, didn't you give a presentation about the places you lived the other week?"

"Yeah, just a short one. I spent some time in Kenya, the Congo, Burma, Sri Lanka, and then a bit around America, before-"

"Miss Dinan, Mr. Stilinski, am I boring you?"

The unimpressed stare was coming over the top of their teacher's glasses, mouth set in a thin line. There was a split second panic in her eyes before they darted to the chalkboard behind him. An air of innocence abounded as she spoke. "Of course not, Mr. Harris. Although, it is the homework from last night, and you switched question seven and question nine. Probably just a slip of the hand."

"Just like that decimal place one over in number ten," Cassie piped up, winking at her friend from across the room.

He muttered something about long nights as he corrected the board, and she turned her smirk to the dimpled creature in front of her – only to see the back of his head. He'd started talking urgently to Scott, and was no longer paying attention to her. A frustrated sigh escaped her lips as she went back to checking her work.

Later that night, Naja was sitting on a bench in the girl's change room, waiting for Cassie. She was humming to herself, pressing her palms flat and extending her arms so she could swing her legs back and forth under the bench. "I actually spoke to him twice today – did you see at lunch?" she called, to easily be heard in the bathroom.

"I did, sort of. He was running around like an idiot. Isn't he on the lacrosse team? Shouldn't he be used to running?" came the muted response, as well as a bang accompanied by a curse. It seemed she'd hit her elbow changing in the stall. "You'd think they'd put in actual change rooms for a pool…"

"It's funny you say that. I was giggling. I think. I hope it was something cute looking, and not like an actual laugh that made him feel like an idiot. I hope not,"Naja started nervously, a worried look crossing her face. "And I touched his arm, and asked if he wanted any assistance, it looked like he was a little out of breath, carrying messages between Romeo and Juliet. I think I mentioned how creepy it was her Grandpa was the principal-"

"Which it is, and totally sucks for them. And like, isn't her mom the secretary?" Cassie asked, walking out of the bathroom area, changed into her modest school swim suit.

Her friend nodded in thought, wondering what that would be like, having an overbearing family presence. If it would be as nerve-wracking as Allison's. She must have looked sad, because she received a nudge. "And so what happened?"

"Oh, well," she began, a full shift in her mood as a grin spread across her face. "He smiled, laughed a little, and shrugged. He said he was fine, it was just like a lacrosse drill. Just a warm up for the game tonight – which he hopes to play in. But he smiled at me. Like, _at_ me. And said he'd talk to me later! Eeeee!"

Cassie shook her head and rolled her eyes, lip pulled back in obvious disgust as she watched her friend squeal and practically roll around on the bench. "You have a serious problem."

Sitting up straight, Naja pouted, saying, "You just wait until you like somebody, who doesn't notice you, and then they start to actually notice you."

Rolling her eyes again, her friend slid slowly towards the door. "Whatever. But, I will say thank you for always coming swimming with me instead of seeing the games. I hope you know that means a lot," the auburn haired girl began, shuffling a little awkwardly. Heartfelt moments were not her thing. "Instead of stalking your spastic love."

She received a playful shove as Naja followed her down the corridor. "Whatever, if he actually plays in the game, I will be miffed that I missed it. But otherwise it's fine. And then I'd miss studying, and dinner. But, I mean, how creepy would it be swimming here all alone?" she inquired with a shudder.

"Believe me, it was kind of creepy. I think I actually swam faster so I could leave, so I didn't enjoy it as much," Cassie responded, rubbing the back of her neck.

There was a bit of an awkward silence while they walked slowly across the wet floor. Naja had forgotten there was a year of high school where Cassie had been all alone. She couldn't imagine her petite friend not being able to express her snarky comments. Accompanied by bullies, it must have been an awful experience. She was about to say something, when the sound of splashing interrupted her thoughts. She grabbed her friend's shoulder, motioning for her to be quiet. Mouthing 'something is there,' she walked up and peeked her head around the corner. She had to cover her own mouth to stop from yelling in surprise at what she saw.

A lizard-type thing was prowling around the pool, inch long claws clicking on the cement, terrifying tail swinging behind it. Cassie stood on tip-toe to look over her shoulder and would have screamed if Naja hadn't clapped a hand over her mouth. Frantic arm movements tried to convey something, but Naja wasn't watching. Instead, her eyes were glued to the source of the splashing – Stiles was in the pool, supporting someone whose head was almost under the water, and Stiles wasn't much better. She went to move forward, only to have her arm yanked back by the full weight of her petite friend.

"What is that thing?! What do you think you're doing?!" Cassie hissed, her green-blue eyes wide as ever, fear written all over her face. Her black nails were dug so hard into her friend's arm, it was starting to bleed.

"I don't know, I don't know everything about everything! But Stiles is in the pool! And he's going to drown if I don't do anything!" she whispered back, gently taking her friend's hand off of her arm. The blood was dripping down her arm, even though the cuts were no longer there. Even though she looked determined, she was still freaking out on the inside. What the hell was that thing? How long had they been there? Could she have already saved him, if she'd been paying attention? She wasn't listening to Cassie say it was too dangerous, they didn't know anything about the thing. And wasn't that Derek Hale? The questions that were piling up in her head were shaken away by the thing screaming.

She looked around the corner again, to see Stiles attempt to grab onto the starting block. She almost cried out when they slipped below the water, but were yanked up by Scott. She breathed a sigh of relief. "See, now everything will be ok Nana," Cassie whispered, putting her hand on her friend's shoulder.

Naja was about to nod in agreement, until she watched the lizard throw Scott into a mirror. She stood up and was about to run out when it suddenly fled through the skylight. They stayed behind the corner until they left, Derek carrying Erica off while Scott and Stiles mumbled something about a USB drive and a bestiary.

"Definitely a good thing I didn't go swimming alone tonight."


	4. Experimentation

In Economics the next day, the girls were sitting, trying to look as if they were paying attention. But really, they were looking at some printed out pages Cassie had just pulled out of her backpack. "Last night when we got home, I went and asked mom about a bestiary – I thought I'd seen one in an old trunk in storage while I was looking for something. She told me it was old, mostly in Italian, and only about creatures that were around that part of the world. I told her about that…. _thing_ we saw last night, and she said it wasn't in the book, but she'd heard of it before; it's called a-"

"Kanima?" Naja interrupted, raising an eyebrow. Her friend was taken aback until she jerked her head to where Coach was yelling at Jackson. After he walked away, she stared on, her face becoming paler. "Lydia might be in trouble."

"For what? Is it going to kill her? I don't even know what the thing really is, let alone what it wants!" the petite girl cried out, eyes wide, progressively slinking down in her seat.

"No, not it. Isaac and Erica. They think _she_ is the Kanima. …or Derek does, or something. But something is going to happen in Chemistry, we need to help her!" Naja hissed, her eyes darting to Lydia as she went up to the board.

"Well, what if it is her? I mean, she's pretty evil. Not as bad as my sister, but still," was the rebuttal, though she grew more concerned as she watched the scene unfold.

They sat in shocked silence as Lydia, crying and almost sobbing, wrote the same thing over and over on the chalkboard. Coach laughed about it being a different language, and Naja turned around, lip curled in confusion. "They do see it says 'Someone Help Me,' right? Are they all dumb?"

"This is Beacon Hills remember. No great minds have emerged from here," Cassie scoffed, rolling her eyes. She turned to look at Lydia, tears still on her face, and tapped her fingers on her desk. "Are you sure it's not her?"

"I don't know what's wrong with her, but I'm about ninety-five percent sure she isn't the Kanima."

Before the bell dinged in Chemistry to signal the start of class, the best friends watched Scott and Stiles clamor to sit beside Lydia, and breathed an audible sigh of relief. Which was short lived as they began to rotate for the experiment. Naja shot her friend a look, and received a nod in response, as she kept one eye on the experiment, one on Lydia.

The grey-eyed girl listened in on the conversations between Erica and Scott, and Stiles and Isaac, grinding her teeth a little harder every time. When Erica sat down beside her, still glancing over at Lydia, the girl took a deep breath before opening her mouth. "Leave Lydia alone."

The blonde bombshell nearly laughed, a form of half laugh coming out of her nose. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yes you do Erica. I'm warning you, don't touch her."

An actual laugh this time, and she leaned in close, almost whispering. "You have no idea what you're messing with, Naja,"she replied snidely, reaching across her for a flask.

"Do you?" the dark haired girl retorted, grabbing the blonde's wrist firmly. She locked eyes and never wavered, even when Erica tried to use her full strength to rip her arm away. She let go when the other girl pulled back, so she almost fell on the floor, staring at her wide-eyed. "Oops. Be careful, there's something on the floor there."

She heard Erica growl under her breath as she went to the next station, leaving the very hint of a smile playing on Naja's lips. A familiar smell filled her nostrils as Isaac sat down beside her. She felt him staring at her as she did her part of the experiment, and she rolled her shoulders before staring back. "Is there something on my face?" she snapped, putting the stir stick back down.

"Huh?"

"In my hair, a mark on my shirt or something?" she asked slowly, still seeing confusion written on his face. "You're staring at me."

He shifted uncomfortably on his stool, moving some of the things on the bench around. "Oh, I just saw you get into it with Erica. Not many people do that, lately, anyway," he said, hitting the flask with his elbow. He had an almost panicked expression as it tumbled towards the tile floor.

There was a slight ting sound as Naja caught it between her thumb and forefinger, the base resting on the toe of her sneaker. She pulled it back up and placed it on the table, meeting his mystified stare with a blank blink. "Be more careful."

At the same time, a highly irritated Erica was sitting beside Cassie, who was tugging on the neon blue lock in her bangs. She glanced over at the calmness of her best friend and took a deep breath. She might not be super strong like the girl sitting beside her. Or have sharp fangs. Or claws. Or be able to heal. She shook her head hard, breathing out the breath she didn't know she was holding. She began to sing softly under her breath, almost inaudible if you weren't sitting right beside her. Or if you had super hearing. "I breathe you in with smoke, in the backyard lights, we used to laugh until we choked, into the wasted night," she began, causing Erica to stare at her.

"What are you – "

She didn't get to finish her sentence, because the voice was filling her head. It was as if just moving her arm to do her part of the experiment was like swimming through syrup. Even seeing straight got harder the longer Cassie was singing – and then the bell for switching stations dinged, and she got up, feeling a little disoriented, but still looking at Lydia. "Dammit!" Cassie cursed under her breath. "I only needed one more minute… "

When Naja plopped onto the seat beside her, she nearly jumped. "Jesus Nana, don't do that!" she hissed, clenching her hands into fists. "I almost had a heart attack. She's scary!"

Her friend nearly snorted with laughter. "Yeah, she's a little bit of a psycho. But I think I intimidated her enough," she smirked, holding her one hand up near Cassie's face, the other putting the finishing touches on their experiment. "Not that she has any idea. Just very confused. And annoyed I'm stronger than her."

"Yeah, well, I'm not!" came the same irritated hiss.

They were told their experiments should be edible crystals, and both girls snapped their necks around to Lydia right before Scott yelled out her name. Watching as Erica and Isaac shared a look, Cassie clamped her hand onto her friend's arm. "I don't think that's a good sign."


	5. Revelation

It was study time in the library, or at least, Naja studying, Cassie still panicking. She'd been freaking out since Chemistry, looking over her shoulder as if Erica were right behind her, ready to tear her to pieces. "I don't even know why you're freaking out. She doesn't even know you did anything, just that you were weirdly singing during class. I'm the one she's actually mad at," Naja mumbled, highlighting in her World History textbook.

"Then how are you so calm?! She could be right here, ready to try and rip you to pieces," the petite girl cried, shaking the table, not noticing the stares she was getting from other students.

"Calm yourself woman," Naja commanded, glaring across the table. "How does something like this make you nervous? You're the one always giving a big middle finger to the world. Just imagine she's part of the world you're giving the middle finger to." She would have continued, but caught a glimpse of curly blonde hair and a melodic laugh pass the library door. "Pretend she's Eve."

Almost instantly, Cassie sat erect, lip curled in disgust, hands tightening into fists. "Yeah, who says there gets to be two gorgeous blondes in this school? If that bitch comes near me, I'll punch her right in that pouty face. Thinking they can do whatever they want because they make people's jaws drop when they walk into a room… Self-entitled, no-good attention whores, I'll show her," she ranted, practically snarling with rage.

"I'm not sure who you're talking about hitting anymore, your sister or Erica. But maybe head-butting her would be more effective," the dark haired girl teased. "Maybe your stud would cut her."

Her friend absentmindedly ran her fingertips over the stud in her nose, nodding slowly in agreement. "Hey, did you want to pierce your lip again tonight? You could freak her out by not having a scar the next day, nevermind no hole in your face," Cassie offered, tilting her head to the side as she examined her friend. "Who knows, Stiles could have a thing for edgy, or just lip piercings."

Before she could respond, a fast movement caught her eye, and she whipped her head around to see Isaac holding Matt by the collar. She didn't bother to listen to their conversation, as she watched Lydia, accompanied by a protection detail sneak out the back door. Turning back to her friend, she started to pack her things into her bag. "I don't think we'll have time for that."

Quickly grabbing their stuff, they slipped past the two werewolves searching the library, and headed outside, following their scent. They arrived just in time to see Stiles' Jeep drive away. "Come on," Cassie instructed, running ahead of her friend towards her car. She unlocked the doors and quickly tossed the keys over her shoulder, where Naja caught them with ease. "You drive."

After realizing they were headed to Scott's house, Naja took a different route and parked a street away. When Cassie got out of the car, she looked a little green, mumbling something about speed and corners as she followed her friend into someone's backyard. She hoped nobody was home as she was all but tossed up onto the roof, followed by the taller girl, who army crawled up to the peak of the roof. They were on the house almost dead parallel with Scott's, watching intently. After a few minutes, a whispered, "What are we looking for," escaped Cassie's lips, although her question was answered as Derek and his Betas appeared. She mouthed an 'oh,' in response to the stare she was given, and sank a little lower behind the crest.

Naja was practically peeling shingles off in unease as she watched the four eyeing the house, wondering what would happen next. She gasped when Isaac disappeared, ready to jump right off the roof until Cassie practically jumped on her. "What are you doing?! Are you _trying_ to die? You can't fight all of them alone!" she hissed, trying to hold on while the girl beneath her was twisting violently.

"Nobody there has any defense! What if Stiles gets hurt? Scott isn't here, what if they all die? Will that be worth protecting myself? What about them?!" was the response, nearly a sob as she watched Erica disappear too.

"Allison is a hunter…sort of. In training? She wouldn't go unprepared-" The consoling speech was interrupted as the sound of things breaking inside was heard. Both girls stared at the front door, seeing some movement in the curtains. "I'm sure everything's fine. It's all – what the heck was that?"

Naja's head snapped to look towards an open window; which was empty. "I'm already ready to tear people to pieces, what are you trying to do here?!" she nearly yelled, tearing her friend off her back with one arm.

"I swear, something was there! Look, it's Allison, why is she rolling that arrow on the window sill?"

"I don't know," Naja replied, getting poised on all fours. "But I have to do something before anyone gets hurt." She started to creep down the roof, ready to jump at Derek, when a roar came from inside the house. She nearly grinned while scrambling back behind the crest of the roof, watching the door get thrown open, followed by Isaac and Erica. "Thank God, Scott," she squealed, before he even emerged from the house.

It wasn't too hard to hear what they were saying, although both girls were going pale, watching the giant lizard crawl along the roof. Nobody else noticed it until it roared and ran off, which was when Lydia ran out the front door. "It's Jackson!" the girls said in unison, jaws nearly hitting the roof.

Naja watched as it ran away, Derek's pack just standing in the middle of the street. The wind changed, and she watched Isaac sniff, looking around. "Time to go," she half-whispered, dragging an all too willing Cassie to the edge of the roof. She jumped gracefully off the roof, landing easily on her feet, and looked up.

"Go on, chase it, I know you want to," her friend commanded, edging towards the downspout. "I'll be fine, Nana. Go!"

Leaving a little reluctantly, Naja had to hop a few fences to make sure Isaac wouldn't see her. He'd recognized her scent, and that was a little disconcerting, but she tried not to let it bother her as she ran in the direction she'd seen the Kanima run off in. She mentally cursed reptiles for not really having a scent, and was running all over the place trying to catch even a whiff of anything that didn't belong. After ten minutes, she yelled out in frustration, and leaves shook off of trees. "God dammit Jackson!"

It took her a while to run back, because she took the road and didn't want anyone to see her running faster than a normal person. The entire run, she was thinking about the Kanima. If she'd ever heard anything about it. It didn't seem to know what it was. "Ugh, Delu, why can't you have a phone!" she cried out, exasperated.


	6. Discoveries and Sparks

While Naja was running back into Scott's neighbourhood, she watched as a pair of headlights drove straight towards her. Ready to sprint in another direction, she was relieved when Cassie threw open the passenger door, with some obvious difficulty. "Derek ran off, and Stiles 'n Scott followed him in the Jeep," she recounted, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel in excitement as her friend climbed in. "I don't know how he's finding it when you couldn't, but I kind of had my dad ping Stiles' phone, he's texting me updates and if they stop anywhere for an amount of time. They're still driving around, and have kind of a head start, but still."

Naja stretched her legs out, using them to adjust the chair properly as she pulled her long hair into a ponytail. "You know," she began, her friend peeling away from the curb. "You seem decidedly less cynical. Like quite a lot. Do you have a fever or something?"

The hand she jokingly stretched out was slapped away with a scowl. "Shut up. There are lives at stake, and like, being part of something like that is really cool. In the moment. Or maybe the impending moment, because I'm pretty scared in the actual situations. Maybe there's too much adrenaline for me to be snappy," Cassie rambled, her driving verging onto a Naja level of speed.

Nodding in understanding, Naja picked up her friend's phone, and began directing her. She was glad for this temporary change in attitude. Don't get her wrong – she loved the snarkiness and all around 'who cares?' attitude – but a variation was entirely welcome.

They eventually arrived outside of a club, Jungle, and the girls got out of the car. The one who had lived in Beacon Hills her entire life tried to call her friend back, but she just ran right up to the line. And then turned right around again. "…they're all guys," she stated, looking over her shoulder at the club, a slightly clueless expression on her face.

"Yes, doofus," Cassie replied flatly. "That's normally how gay clubs work."

"Oh…that makes sense."

They stood, looking at the glowing sign for a few minutes. "Well…I think Scott can handle this one," Naja said, walking back to the passenger's side of the vehicle. She figured it would definitely look odd if they walked in. If they were even allowed in, in the first place.

The drive back to their apartment building was a silent, contemplative one. Why was Jackson doing these things? Did he know? Would everything be ok? Did Isaac see them on the roof? Was Naja going to pass the Econ midterm the next day? A lot of questions were bouncing around their heads, and two managed to escape Naja's lips while they walked into their building's lobby. "What's on your butt? And was that rip there before?" she queried, pointing at her friend's backside. When she was met with silence, a sly grin spread across her face. "You fell off the downspout didn't you?" More silence, and she could almost feel the glower while Cassie refused to look at her. "You did! Oh man, that's fantastic. I wish I could have seen it!"

The petite girl glared up at her, though it didn't stop her from laughing as they got into the elevator. "Shut up. Not everyone has supernatural reflexes. And it was more like an uncontrolled slide than anything else. My knee caught on the bracket holding it to the house and I hung there for a second before dropping on my ass," She seethed, shoulders coming up around her ears. "At least I know what a gay club looks like. Hairflip." She tossed her growing pixie cut, flicking her imaginary hair over her shoulder with a gesture. The girls broke out laughing as they got off the elevator, and Cassie gave her friend a questioning glance. "Something wrong with your apartment?"

"I want to talk to your mom about the book. Or just what she knows about the Kanima,"she explained, throwing open the apartment door. "Mama Nicchi, we're home!"

Naja always liked to look at Christiana Nicchi; she looked so elegant, even in her pajamas. She was slim like both of her daughters, though her skin was a rich olive tone, even in the middle of winter. Her hugs were also the warmest, like the ones she was giving them at that moment. "How was your night girls? Anything exciting? Hot cocoa?"

"Pretty good. We found out who the Kanima is, I almost ran into Jungle without understanding I might get stared at. And of course hot cocoa," Naja explained, rubbing her hands together in anticipation. She also loved how her friend's mother didn't even blink at anything she said. Ever.

"Who is it? The legends I have heard have been males, so I'm guessing it's a young man," she offered, getting two mugs easily out of the top cupboard.

The girls sat at the island, nodding their heads. "Lydia's boyfriend – well, ex-boyfriend, but still – Jackson. You remember him right? Kind of angular features, eyes, muscles, stuff like that. Human things," Cassie stated awkwardly; talking about Lydia always made her uncomfortable.

"Oh dear, that's not good. And I'm guessing you have no idea who is controlling him, do you?"

A few beats of silence followed the question. "Say what now?"

The raven haired woman turned to face the two at the counter, placing their full mugs in front of them. "You don't know?" she asked openly. The blank looks she received answer enough. "Well, the Kanima is a South American legend. Which I think I told you before. That it's a tool of vengeance, used to kill murderers."

"What? You never said anything about vengeance and murderers to me before!" her daughter exclaimed, looking at Naja with wide eyes, shaking her head.

"No, I'm sure I did. There's not much more I know about it, though," Mrs. Nicchi stated, a tad airily, turning back to the sink to finish the dishes.

"No, mom. You definitely didn't say anything about that. South American, yes. Murdering murderers, no, no you did not," Cassie huffed, her cheeks squished up around eyes, making her look slightly ridiculous.

"You're all just a bunch of nerds."

The snide voice from behind them caused Cassie to let her head slip off her hands, where it had been resting, onto the counter with a resounding thud. "Eve. Smart people are talking about things you need a brain to understand. People are dying. Go back to whatever mindless thing you were doing," she groaned, rolling her head and smushing her nose against the counter. Her buxom sister came up behind and flicked her in the head.

"Whatever, loser. This is boring. Maybe if you used your gift you'd just get your answers. Oh, wait. We can't," she said, making a face at the back of her mother's head.

Lifting her head, Cassie queried, "Does murdering people's social lives count as murder? Will the Kanima come after Eve? She's made a bunch of people commit social suicide."

"Girls," their mother warned, turning around with a towel between her hands, already wound. "Enough. Evangeline, don't be awful. Cassandra, don't respond to bullies, they eventually get bored."

The sisters stared each other down until Eve walked down the hall to her room, slamming the door. "Well, I don't think there's anything we can do tonight," Naja sighed, holding her cocoa under her nose. "Did you still want to pierce my lip Cass?" She didn't entirely feel like it, but her friend was practically shaking with tension; piercing always made her more relaxed.

"Yeah, sure," she replied, perking up. "You still never told me about the murderer part, mom. But I will let it go if you make me an amazing breakfast. And some leftovers for the one who forgets to eat."

Her mother laughed and agreed as the girls walked down the hallway, disappearing into Cassie's room. A few minutes later, and a terrifying snarl echoed through the apartment. Naja emerged, rubbing near her slightly swollen lip where a ring now sat. Her pout was heavy as she waved goodbye to Mrs. Nicchi.

She heaved a great sigh when she opened her own apartment door, just a floor above her friend's. "Ohhh, my precious babies," she cooed, hearts nearly dripping from her words as the floor around her feet started writhing and purring. She closed the door, only the light of the moon filtering through her curtains, as she sank to the floor, her cats rubbing up against her. "I'm sorry I was gone so long, I missed you too! …ow! Desta! Be careful of my lip!"

The next day, school was abuzz with the information of Jackson Whitmore being missing. The girls had shared a knowing, but relieved look while they were taking their midterm, happy that Scott had worked things out. Whatever it was that he had done, exactly. They were starting to put a lot of trust in the young werewolf, even if he didn't know it.

Naja told Cassie to go ahead and find a seat for lunch, because she had to go over some things with her Art teacher. She had just closed her locker when a familiar scent flooded her nose. "Hey," Isaac greeted smoothly, his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. She could practically feel the self-assured smile.

"Isaac," she replied shortly, turning to face him. The amount of confidence he had gained by becoming a werewolf continued to astound her, though it wasn't betrayed by her cool exterior. "May I help you with something?"

"Yeah, you see – wait, your lip wasn't pierced yesterday, was it?" he asked, leaning closer to inspect her bottom lip.

She leaned twice as far back, an expression of 'way too close,' plastered on her features. "No, it wasn't. What an observation. Back it up there, buddy," she instructed, extending a hand between her face and his, standing upright again after he had pulled back.

"So did you get that pierced before or after you were at Scott's last night?" he queried, his blue gaze turning ever so slightly icy.

"What? I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't even know where Scott lives, let alone get invited to whatever happened there last night," she said flatly, moving to walk past him. "You must have been on something pretty heavy to thi-"

Her ears pinned back in surprise as his arm shot out, slamming his hand into the lockers in front of her with a bang. It was inches from her nose as she once again turned to face him, tilting her head slightly to look him in the eye. "You were there, on the opposite side of the street. How did you even get on that roof? I mean, you, I understand, you look like you could climb it. But Cassie? How did she get up there?" he demanded, leaning in closer, staring her down.

Naja's bottom lip started to tremble, accentuated by the silver bauble which now adorned it. "Yo-you're scaring me," she nearly whimpered, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

His hand slams the locker right beside where her head is resting, and her eyes nearly roll at the blast of sound. "Don't lie to me, Naja. I know you are, I know you know way more than you're letting on," he almost growled, visibly struggling not to shift.

Her entire demeanor changed as she stood up straight, no longer cowering. The stare was so cold he stopped glaring at her. "Maybe if you didn't try to kill innocent, questionably sane people, I wouldn't have to lie," she stated, her top lip starting to curl ever so slightly in annoyance.

"What are you? Are you like us? Why can't I tell?!" he commanded, adjusting to the vibe she was giving off.

She rolled her eyes at him, smacking his arm out of the way. "Keep your delusional fantasies to yourself, I'm hungry," she scoffed as she started walking past him.

"I'm not," Isaac began, his hand flying out and grabbing her forearm, pulling her towards him. "Done talking to you."

There was a beat as he realized he'd pulled too hard, long hair having flown up onto his shoulder, being hit in his chest with a thud that made him step back to keep his balance. Naja looked up, ready to berate him, to ask him who he thought he was. But his taken aback expression had rid any malice from his eyes. To her, he didn't look like a person who went around, tearing people's throats out with his teeth. He looked like a normal, human, teenage boy. Something with which she had no experience. And he was staring right back into her grey eyes with his piercing blue. She felt colour rising in her cheeks, accenting the slight dusting of freckles across her cheekbones.

She took a large step back, easily yanking her hand back from his still firm grip, turned on her heel, and marched away. Mumbling something about how boys are stupid, why did he have to look so normal. Why couldn't Stiles do that to her, it would have been so perfect.

Isaac was left there, utterly confused by her reaction, staring at his palm where she had cut him pulling her hand away. As she rounded the corner, she heard him mutter under his breath, "What the heck just happened?"


	7. Proximity

The next week, Naja did her best to avoid Isaac – which was hard since they shared classes. It wasn't so much that he made her uncomfortable, but that he was asking questions. She didn't care if he knew she was something, as long as he didn't know what she was, but the fact that he wasn't losing interest was getting irritating. Sometimes she would find him waiting at her locker, and have to take a different route, as well as leave her books. Another time he tried to ambush her as her class let out, but she hid behind a group of students and avoided it altogether.

At lunch on Friday, she plopped down outside in a huff. She hadn't even bothered going to her locker, and had instead asked Cassie to grab her lunch for her. "This is getting really annoying."

Her friend let out some form of hissing giggle. "Now it looks like someone is the victim of obsession. Now you know how Stiles must feel," Cassie said with a grin, biting into a cold pizza slice, though it was warmer than the look she received.

"Shut up. I don't noticeably bother him like this. This is harassment," she complained, falling back into the grass. She groaned and rolled around, smushing her face between her hands. "I haven't even been able to talk to him in Chemistry because I've been so focused on not letting Isaac near me that I haven't been able to sit with him."

"You know," Cassie started, glancing down and shuffling a little farther away. "You could do something normal, like, I don't know, ask him to hang out? Say you need help studying for a test midterm?"

"I don't need help studying though…"

There was a pregnant pause as Naja received a steady stare. "He doesn't need to know that. Make him fall in love with you, wear something revealing instead of…whatever you call these things. Slouchy sweaters?"

Naja looked down at her oversized cardigan over an already loose shirt. "…it's comfortable. What's wrong with it?" she asked honestly, pulling her shirt out to stare at it.

"Mhmm. I don't want to be my sister. And I also don't like looking girly – I'm already kind of weak, I don't need people to look at me and think things. But you, you have curves, and stuff. Guys like that. You could even give Erica a run for her money," she teased, scrunching her nose as she smiled.

"Hmph, run for her money. If I walked around wearing leather, I'd blow her out of the water. …mostly because I'm not a nutter, but that's not the point," came the huffed reply. Naja slowly sat up, a plan forming visible in the expression on her face. "Would that work? Not the leather, but if I asked him to help me? Fed him some food, show a little whatever. He'd notice me? Maybe talk to me more?"

"Sure, worth a shot, isn't it?"

Looking across the room to where Stiles was speaking with Scott, Naja sighed out, "I guess so…"

A large groan and a bunch of shifting finally saw her leave the safety of her seat and walk over to the now alone boy. He was examining the ticket in his hand, the other one occupied with his watch. _'Do normal people do this? What is the procedure for asking someone to help you study. My training did_ _ **not**_ _prepare me for this. What would Eve do? No, that would be terrible. I shouldn't copy her. It's cool, just be me,'_ she thought, her mind racing through possible scenarios in the short time between A and B.

A nervous tap on the arm brought those big brown eyes up to hers, followed by an adorable half smile. "Oh, hey Naja, whatsup?"

Her heart skipped a beat and she smiled sheepishly. "Nothing much, I was just, uh, wondering if you might be able to help me? That Chemistry test review, some parts I wasn't sure of? Like, um, you could come to my place maybe, and I could feed you? …feed you food, I mean. …unless you're allergic to cats, then we could go somewhere else? Not that I would be feeding you cats, I just have cats. And uh, you could tell me what snacks or something…" she rambled awkwardly, catching Stiles glancing back at his phone throughout, causing her shoulders to slump. "…or not, that's ok too."

He looked up from his phone, wide-eyed. "I'm **so** sorry! I'm really not trying to be a jerk, I was listening, I'm just…distracted. And busy. I will totally help you study anything you need – just not tonight," he said quickly, though apologetically. He clapped his hands together over his phone, eyes squinting. "Raincheck?" Stiles asked, simultaneously shooting a finger gun at her, taking a step back.

"Yeah, that's no problem," Naja replied, grinning foolishly. "Ah, just think about, what snacks you'd want!" The last few words had needed to be called because he'd started to hurry away. She didn't stop smiling until she got back to where they were sitting, practically purring.

"So…how did that go?" Cassie asked, slowly sipping at her drink. "I mean. You look like an idiot, a happy idiot, but still an idiot. But he also ran away."

"He's busy. You know, supernatural stuff is very time consuming, but he's probably not allergic to cats. And he said another night he will. Which means. Stiles is eventually coming to my apartment." The events were related slowly, especially the realization of him being in her residence.

"Yeah, I wonder if he realizes you live by yourself. Will that make him feel like it's some porno study date? Like 'oh, my parents aren't home. And my A/C is broken. My, isn't it hot in here? How did all these buttons get undone?'" Cassie teased, making her voice go high and breathy.

She received a death glare from a red face. "You know it's not like that. Because…reasons."

"Yeah yeah. Weren't you going to see a man about some cats tonight?"

"Yes, but we also might need you to sweet talk us into a party…"

The bell over the Animal Clinic door tinkled lightly as Naja walked through it, bringing a small smile to her face. That, along with the scent of contentedness that seemed to emanate from the building. Or perhaps it was the cat following at her heel. With a small wave, the spotted feline hopped up on the counter, sitting pretty on the edge. A clean smell greeted her nostrils as the veterinarian walked out from the back. "Miss Dinan?" he asked with a smile, receiving a nod in response. "And then this must be Zuma."

"Yes, yes she is," Naja purred, tickling her cat's ear with her thumb as Deaton itched under her chin with a crooked finger. "Have you ever dealt with a Savannah cat before? I know you've probably dealt with other rare animals."

The doctor looked up at her with a raised eyebrow, followed by a small smile as he saw the girl's aversion to the gate. "This is true, and I'm guessing you have too," Deaton replied sagely, opening up the gate and receiving a sheepish smile. "But no, I've never done a checkup on a Savannah before. In her paperwork you sent in you didn't indicate any allergies?"

Naja walked behind the counter towards the exam room, followed by Zuma. "No, she's fine, she actually likes going to the vet. Except for the needles, she doesn't like those, but does anyone?"

He laughed in agreement, leaning down to close the cupboard which the cat had opened and was peering into. "That is very true. I can see the end of her tail is puffed – is that a breed specific behaviour?" he queried, watching it wag before jumping up onto the table. The cat nuzzled her head into her owner's side, purring loudly. "She's also much bigger than any crossbreed I've seen."

"Yeah, it's a bit of a weird thing that they do. And yes, she's actually a first generation, a bit strong on the serval side, but still big for a female. Zuma's about eighteen inches at the shoulder? Around the same size of a small shepherd," Naja explained, leaning to nuzzle her cat's head, purring back. She laughed a little, looking over at Deaton as he put his gloves on. "You should see the looks I get when I take her for a walk – people double take when they realize she's feline."

"I can imagine," he chuckled, beginning to check Zuma over. "And you mentioned that you were looking for another cat? Didn't you say you already have three? Shouldn't you be checking with your parents for that?"

Naja paused, her smile dropping, and she shuffled awkwardly before responding. "I, uh, would. But I don't have any, anymore. They died when I was a kid – I'm actually an emancipated minor, sort of. I don't really like to talk about it," she said in a level tone, avoiding eye contact. "It's ok, really. I just find people get kind of weird when they know you're an orphan. But everything is fine. I miss them, but it was a long time ago. I can choose my family now, which is more than some people get. So…yeah."

Deaton had finished the physical exam, and was looking at her sympathetically. "That's hard, and I'm very sorry for your loss, Naja. And it is understandable to want to avoid questions- "

"And fake sympathy. I learned that lesson in my first few schools. Humans can be awful creatures. Cats are much better," she interrupted, a bit bitterly. Her shoulders began to roll, and Zuma became agitated, making some chirping sounds. Naja began cracking her knuckles before curling her hands into fists. The animals in the other rooms began to make noises, catching Deaton's attention.

He put his hand on her arm, her head snapping to look at him. Her nostrils were flared, and her wide eyes were beginning to well with tears. "Naja, it's ok, we can make another appointment to do Zuma's vaccines. Just calm down. The past can only hurt you if you let it. Moving on makes you brave, remember that, ok?" he stated, squeezing her shoulder supportively.

She breathed out a long, controlled breath, and nodded in thanks. "Talking about it makes it fresh, that's all. I'll be ok. Promise."

Naja paused, looked at the vet, and smiled. "Thank you for being genuine. And please don't tell Scott. About this, or my difficulty with the gate," she said, a small smile on her lips. "He'll probably find out eventually. But I'd like to tell him on my own."

"Of course, doctor-patient confidentiality will also apply to you, and not just Zuma," he joked lightly, warm smile reflecting hers. "And don't worry about paying today – you can pay at the next appointment."

"Thank you Doctor Deaton, really. And hopefully next time won't be so gloomy and dramatic," she laughed, resting her head on a now calm Zuma, the long pointed ears tickling her nose. "We'll see you next week?"

"I'll have Scott tell you when to come in next," he informed, watching as she chirped and moved her head and shoulders while looking at her cat. Who then proceeded to nuzzle the doctor's hand before jumping off the table.

The pair had left the office, and run part of the way home. She was trying to clear her head of old memories, shoving them back down with every footfall. And of course, Zuma didn't mind the run. Her long legs allowed her to keep up, even with Naja's long stride. They walked the rest of the way, the girl pulling her hair into a loose bun, as they received odd stares from passersby. When they arrived at the apartment building, head clear, the girl almost exploded.

"ISAAC!" She practically growled, jogging over to the leather jacket clad teen. Naja's lip curled in annoyance, and Zuma hissed, causing him to jump slightly. Nobody expects a cat to sound like a snake. "Are you stalking me now? How do you even know where I live? I should report this to the Sheriff! Why won't you just leave me alone, stop harassing me, you stalker!"

Isaac looked blankly at the livid female in front of him – and the puffed up tail of her pet. "Well, actually…" he offered, pointing behind him.

Naja angrily looked down his arm towards where he was pointing. Right at a grocery store. "Oh…"

The colour rose in her cheeks and she dug her toe into the sidewalk. "Sorry for, uh, ranting, I guess. Carry on, be on your way," she lamented, cracking her fingers one by one.

He smirked at her, shoving his hands in his pockets, and looked up at the building. "So, you live here, huh?"

"Oh shut up, that offer of reporting you is still standing – believe me," she quipped back, the scowl returning to her features. _'Why does this guy always have to get on my nerves…'_

"Yeah, yeah, I believe it," he replied, rolling his eyes at her. "…is that a cat?"

A huge, annoyed sigh escaped the girl, resting her hand on the head of her feline. "Yes, she's a cat. Yes, she is very large, and yes, she **will** claw you if I tell her to."

He put his hands up in defense, shaking his head. "You're so hostile, you can keep your secrets," he said, kneeling and offering the back of his fingers to the cat. She gingerly sniffed at it, and then rubbed the side of her head on it. Isaac smiled, and squinted up at Naja, a smile on his face and a glint in his eye. "I'll find out eventually."

Another scowl. Followed by some chirps and a head jerk, which stopped Zuma's purring instantly, and she ducked her head away from his hand. Confused, Isaac stood up, closer to the girl than he had been before. "For instance," he began, reaching out and cupping her chin in his hand, gently brushing at her bottom lip with his thumb. "Didn't you have a piercing last week?"

She jerked her face out of his grasp and took a step back, her cheeks returning to a light shade of pink. "Yeah, I didn't want it anymore though. So I took it out," she said, though she didn't look at him as she spoke.

The grin stayed on his face as he ran his fingers through his curly hair. "Yeah, and there's no scar. Mmhm. Well, I'll see you later, Naja," he teased as he turned to walk away. He paused, turning on his heel to walk backwards with a smirk. "Oh, and, it's too bad, it was kinda hot."

Her mouth opened slightly in shock, eyes wide. That elicited a chuckle and a grin as he turned back around, flinging his hand up in the air in a half-assed wave. "See ya around, sour puss."

Naja watched him walk away in silence, her cheeks glowing. "Who does that guy think he is, huh Zuma? Walking around, saying things like that to people. Touching people's mouths, I bet his hands aren't even clean…" she grumbled aloud, walking into her building. "…that's not true. His hands smelled clean."

Zuma blinked slowly, tilting her head as she walked through the doors. "Oh shut up, nobody asked you. Besides, I need to get ready – Cassie and I are going out."


	8. Murder In The Club

"You're not wearing that."

Naja groaned, flopping down on the couch. "What's wrong with jeans and a bright shirt? What will everyone else be wearing?"

Cassie walked over to her friend, tugging at the neon pink stripe in her bangs before crossing her arms over your chest. "Well, first of all – you're totally covering up too much. And that's something coming from me. You will also be too hot. And stand out like a sore thumb. It's not like you never revealed anything ever. I've seen pictures," she chided, wagging a finger.

"I know, but…this is different. We might see Stiles. And, what if he thinks I'm some kind of slut? I don't want that…" Naja sighed, a tad dejected. She was allowed to wallow in her conflict for a second before she was tugged off the couch by her small friend.

"Eve! Your services are required!"

A curly blonde head popped around the corner, a sly smile from ear to ear. "I was hoping for this. You will be the hottest bitch at that rave. Unless I went. Then I would be hottest. But you'd still be hot. Now don't make me sing your ass over her, Dinan."

Ten minutes later, Naja's whining could be heard on all the floor around them. "I don't know how I feel about this…" she complained, trying to pull the crop top down more. "No wait. I feel like an idiot." She ended up pulling it back up because it exposed her bra, and she sighed, pulling the sweater tighter around her.

"You look hot. The socks and shorts give you legs for days, You will have your pick of hotties," Eve began to gush, before receiving cold stares from the two younger girls. She put her hands up in defense. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Not there for boys. Or wolves. That stupid lizard thing. I get it, it's serious. Dangerous. …I still want to go."

"Yeah, and have mom kill me for getting you possibly murdered. That's a no. You're staying home. You can go to another one when there aren't murderous supernatural creatures running around everywhere," Cassie scolded, though she shared a look with her best friend. "…at least until this _particular_ murderous thing isn't running around."

"Fine!" Eve huffed, stomping her spoiled foot on the ground. "I still want to go."

The two girls were already headed out the door, and Cassie didn't even turn around to brush her sister off. "Yeah yeah Eve. You'll get over it."

Once the door closed, Evangeline Nicchi stared apprehensively at the door, and for once in her life seemed to care about someone other than herself. "Naja, you make sure she gets home safe," she all but whispered, trusting that the other girl heard her. Down the hallway, a dark headed nodded slowly.

"I don't know if I can do this…"

"Cass. You've done things like this before," Naja groaned, standing in line to get into the rave.

"Uhhhhhh," the small girl voiced, the pitch increasing as it dragged on. "Confusion, yes. Bending people to my will…not so much."

"Huh. Maybe we should have talked about this before…" Naja trailed off awkwardly, looking up to the side to try and think of a new plan.

"Um, um, it's ok, I'll wing it. Eve does it all the time. No big deal." Tug tug go the bangs.

They edged up to the man standing there, taking the tickets. He looked bored, eyes practically glazed over by the time the girls approached. _'I can do this. Just like Eve. …gross.'_ With a roll of her shoulders, a crick-crack of the neck, and a deep breath, she walked up to him. Her little chucks went on pointe as she motioned for him to come closer. "We might not have tickets, and that will have to do," she sang softly, a slightly confused expression crossing his face as he leaned over. Her small hand lightly cupped his shoulder, her eyes bright and shining. "We only want one thing, to save all of you. I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind…to let us both through."

He moved slowly, as if he were swimming through honey, and motioned them inside. Cassie all but skipped inside the warehouse, her skirt flouncing just as jubilantly, followed by a hurrying Naja. "Cassie, that was awwwesoome!" she hissed, doing a little dance as she high-fived her friend. "But did you just bend Your Song around what you wanted?"

A bit of the pep went out of the blue eyes. "Yes, yes I did. But it worked, so…now what."

Naja scanned the room, her ponytail brushing her mid-back as she took in the flashing lights, the pounding music, and the writhing bodies. "Well, I think we should split up. And if you see Jackson, sing as loud as you can, ok?" she instructed, still surveying the crowd, arms crossed across her chest.

A quick nod. "Got it. …and if you see him? What are you going to do?" the girl asked tentatively, watching her best friend hold up a hand and flex her fingers.

"I will take care of it. Jackson, Kanima, whatever needs to be done. Just stay safe."

"Alright, but you have to try and fit in, remember," Cassie instructed as she disappeared into the crowd.

A lot of huffing escaped Naja's mouth as she walked in the opposite direction. "Pfft, I can fit in. You just like…fist pump and…" she paused in outer monologue to peer at those around her. "Move to the music." Another pause while she watched a bunch of people grinding against each other. Her nose wrinkled in disgust. "Yeah, definitely not doing that." The wandering continued, her sort of dancing through the crowd as she breathed in deeply every once in a while.

"Naja?"

She froze when she heard her name, knowing that voice, that scent. She tried to tiptoe away, but was grabbed by the elbow and spun around. Isaac. Fantastic.

"What are you doing here?" they hissed in unison, though hers was more in annoyance, his more concerned.

"I just, you know, came here to uh, party?" she replied, watching his face as she stood there talking to him. "So shoot me for having a social life. Like, I can go out and do things too…what are you staring at?"

Her hands were on her hips, and he shrugged, albeit a little sheepishly as he shoved his hands in his pockets, and said, "You just look…different. You're always covered up at school, and this is the opposite of that."

Freezing again, she looked down at her loose, cropped tank top, now glowing in the UV light. Along with the see-through hoodie, though the hotpants she had been forced into stayed black. She self-consciously pulled at the socks on her thigh, digging her toe into the ground. "You don't have to stare at me, I didn't even want to wear this stupid outfit, I look – "

"Hot," Isaac interrupted with a smirk and a shrug. Red started to rise in her cheeks and she was happy the light hid it. "You look great, you should totally wear that to school tomorrow."

She laughed, more of a snort. "It's way too cold…here…" She looked at his face, jaw clenched from trying not to laugh. "Oh, ha ha. You're so funny. But actually, it's freezing in this stupid place. And I mean Beacon Hills."

Isaac laughed and shook his head. "Yes, because the nice sixty-nine outside is too cold."

"Because I grew up in Africa."

"And not just because your shy about your body."

Hands on the hips, accompanied by a flat stare, Naja said dryly, "I'm not ashamed of my body. I know I look great. I have legs for days. A healthy curve. Hell, one place I stayed I wore beads and a skirt! Body shamed…who do you think you are…"

There was a long pause. "So…do you still have those beads, by any chance? For. World History purposes…?" Isaac queried, though he soon winced as she sideways punched him in the arm. "Ok, ok. Try to be warmer. You'll get someone's attention if you do that."

"I'm sorry? I'll do what?" she asked, a little confused. "Who will I get attention from?"

He shrugged, putting his hands up in the air in open defense. "You will get everyone's attention if you showed off more, that's all, sour puss. But, if you didn't want to wear it…why are you?"

She frowned under his knowing look. "To fit in."

"Uh-huh. And why would that be?"

"Gah! You're so annoying! We just want to help, ok? People can't keep dying, Isaac. It isn't right," she exclaimed, shoulders slumping a bit in defeat.

Now suddenly serious, he looked around before grabbing her elbow and pulling her to a more secluded spot. "Naja, this is dangerous. What are you thinking? And we?" he scolded before trying to peer across the dance floor, then looking back. "You brought the shrimp with you? Are you crazy?"

Yanking her elbow from his grasp, she scowled. "Cassie can take care of herself, and I'm not crazy – "

"No, you have a death wish."

A withering glare. "I am more capable than you think, wolf boy," she hissed, her top lip pulling back into a snarl.

He blinked in surprise, caught off guard at being called what he was. He shook his head to clear it, and pulled a syringe out of his pocket. "We have a plan, ok? Don't worry about it."

"There had better be something very powerful in that if you're going to knock him out," Naja scoffed, shaking her head. "So you have a plan. What if something goes wrong?"

He shook his head strongly, replying, "It won't, its Scott's plan."

Her mouth opened to contradict him, that just because he makes a plan doesn't mean it will succeed, but stayed open for a few seconds, her eyes going wide. At the same time, Isaac's nose perked up, and his head turned to follow the scent. Jackson. He watched Erica making her way over, and quickly turned back to look Naja in the eye. "Everything will be fine."

"Fine, fine. I'll be here if I'm needed, just…don't tell Scott," she pleaded as he walked away, receiving a nod. She sighed, slipping through the crowd to keep an eye on the infallible 'plan.' Her lip twitched a little bit as she watched Isaac and Erica dance around Jackson, their bodies all intertwining. "That is so gross," she muttered under her breath. _'Not that I wouldn't entirely mind if that were Stiles and I in there…without Isaac of course, stupid wo- what was that?'_ her conflicting thoughts were interrupted at the muffled gunshots. Her head whipped around to try and find the location of the sounds, and when she looked back, Jackson was making his way forward once more.

Heart racing, she easily moved through the crowd to see Isaac crawling on the floor. With a quick and fluid twist and spin, she landed next to the syringe. And right in front of a guy, who's arm snaked around her waist. "That was pretty smooth – want to show me some more, maybe a little closer?" he asked, speaking near her ear.

Her eyes rolled into her head in repulsion and the fact that his voice pounded into her head like a jackhammer. That would be the last time she tried to focus on two things at once. Isaac looked up at her glowing face as she spoke through a grimace, still sounding seductive. "I would love that," she said, swaying against him to the floor and kicking the syringe to the outstretched hand. She sped back up, smashing her head into his chin. "But I'm kind of in the middle of something." As the guy staggered, holding his face, she sauntered away, mouth slightly open, nostrils flaring quickly.

Cassie almost had a heart attack when Naja magically appeared beside her. "Holy crap, make some noise, will ya?" she seethed, exhaling through her teeth quickly. "You might be used to this scary crap, but I need time to adjust from normal to…whatever this is."

Naja glanced around and began fist pumping, lowering her voice so only Cassie could hear. "I ran into Isaac-" The intensity with which her friend's eyebrows shot up interrupted her. "And they have a plan. Well, Scott has a plan. Everything will be fine…hopefully."

In the small room, Stiles, Isaac and Erica stare at the controlled Jackson, the curly haired boy nursing his arm. They had just listened to him say he was the one whom they were avenging. "Where is Scott?" he asked, a hint of panic in his voice. "This isn't exactly going as planned."

"I don't know where he is! But great observation, Captain Obvious," Stiles snarked, though his sarcastic tirade he was about to embark on was cut short when Jackson started to raise his claws. "Ok, alright, more ketamine. The man needs ketamine, come one."

Holding the bottle up, Isaac said, "We don't have anymore."

Trying to keep his patience, Stiles turns to him. "You used the whole bottle?"

"Well, it's not like it did a lot. But…" Isaac hesitated, looking back at the eerily blank Jackson. There might be someone else who can help."

"What do you – " Erica tapped on his shoulder and he whipped his head around to the now standing, transforming, Jackson. Which suddenly screamed.

Both Cassie and Naja's heads whipped around, eyes scanning wildly. "What the hell was that?" The girls stopped and looked at each other before uttering a single word in unison. "Kanima."

Naja strained her ears to hear the tiniest sound around the music, trying to scan the room. To smell the scent of nothingness. The smaller girl watched the crowd, dancing on, completely unaware of the danger they were all in. Not knowing one life could end in an instant. She almost missed the hand clapping over her friend's mouth and nose. "What is it?" she hissed, clawing at the sweater, eyes darting around.

"Blood. I smell blood. Taste it. Cass, it's…it's horrible," Naja whispered, eyes wide open, frozen in her stance.

It took some effort, but with a great deal of pulling, she was half dragged to an exit. Her feet didn't really want to move, and it appeared she didn't quite know where she was. She walked forward in a daze, following the same path that Cassie was taking. Only she received a swift knock on the ass. Her head wobbling, and her eyes drifted to the ground where she was sitting. "What the…?" she started, squinting to see better. "Damn it. Mountain Ash."

A realization hit her like a ton of bricks and she sprung up to her feet. "Cassie. Cassie, I can't leave," she said hurriedly, her hands flexing back and forth as she paced. "What if Scott comes out. What if Stiles comes out. I'm not ready. What do I do?" Her pacing speed increased, becoming more frantic, her voice raising with each word from her lips, until she was shouting. "SHIT CASSIE I CAN'T LEAVE. WHAT DO I DO?!"

The fact that mountain ash was surrounding the building finally clicked in and the girl began to tug furiously at her bangs. She went right to full volume, panickedly screaming back. "CAN I FIX IT. OHGOD. OHGOD. THEY'RE GOING TO SEE BOTH OF US. OHGODOHGODWHATAREWEGONNADO!"

Her frantic screaming was interrupted by a muted howl, and they both whipped their heads in the direction of the sound. Suddenly the line is gone, and Naja ran, scooping her petite friend up in one arm as she bolted to the car. She nearly ripped the door off its hinges as Cassie hopped into the driver's seat and sped away. Without even really paying attention, they arrived in the parking structure of their apartment complex. The entire time, they had sat in silence, and it continued as they sat in the now turned off car. Small hands were still clutching the wheel, white from the amount of grip being used.

Naja mumbled something almost inaudible. "Wha-"

"Dammit. Dammit. DammitdammitDAMMIT!" she cried out, fists thumping the dash each time. "I should have been able to save her! If I wasn't so scared…if I could just be open, like Isaac and Erica and Boyd."

A deep sigh came from the seat beside her. "You have your reasons, Naja. They'll understand."

"But I don't! This izn't like any other place I've lived in America! I shouldn't be so afraid!"

Cassie frowned deeply. She knew as soon as Naja slipped into her accent, she was extremely upset. She reached over and started to slowly play with her hair, running her fingers through it. "Hey, it's not all on you. You don't carry the world on your shoulders – you're not alone."

"That doesn't make me feel any less guilty. I made a promise, to do what my parents always taught me. What the Elders showed me was right. My decisions are mine alone. And that is something that I have to live with."


	9. Guilt and Advice

When Monday came around, Naja still couldn't shake her feeling of responsibility. The entire weekend she'd hidden in her apartment, ignored the multiple texts from her best friend, and wallowed in her misery. She had faked a smile, fumbled through an apology, but the ride to school wasn't any less awkward. Not that Cassie didn't forgive her for brooding ; she wasn't really upset by it. However, her wanting Naja to forgive herself was causing some tension. Sitting in Chemistry, it took Stiles touching her arm to get her attention. She nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Ah, sorry Naja," he said, his brow furrowing. "Scott was trying to talk to you."

Her shoulders rose just like the colour in her cheeks. "Sorry, I was kinda zoned out."

Scott laughed, shaking his head and smiling. "It's no problem. I mean, Harris could put anyone to sleep," he joked, eliciting a laugh out of her. Stiles was still looking at her strangely. "I just wanted to tell you that either today or tomorrow after school any time is ok to bring your cat in. Deaton asked me to let you know. You can go back to your napping now."

Naja rolled her eyes at him with a smile and he turned back around. She almost went to go back to not really paying attention to the class, but Stiles scooted his stool back and leaned closer to her. "Hey, are you ok?" he asked, trying to look her in the eyes.

She shrugged a little, doodling something on her paper. "Yeah just…tired. I had kind of a busy weekend, that's all," she offered, her eyes darting over to look at him with every pause.

"Are you sure that's it? I mean, I know what you mean about a busy weekend, but you're normally…I dunno, more smiley, that's all." Now he was the one shrugging. "I've also never seen you wear sweatpants before."

The girl laughed through her nose, trying to ignore the pen poking her in the leg. She put her hand below the bench and swatted at her best friend's hand, all while smiling at the concerned beauty in front of her. "You are a sheriff's son; I'll give you that, Stiles," she teased, now holding his gaze. She sighed, her expression turning sad for a split second. "Just some personal stuff going on, nothing to worry about."

Stiles' expression softened, and he smiled. "Ok, just checking."

"Yeah, I'll be fine. But…thanks for checking. And noticing," she said a little shyly, a tiny bit of pink in her cheeks.

"No problem, I am veeery perceptive," he said with a wink, turning back around.

Naja leaned forward, eyes wide, an excited smile on her face and was about to silently freak out. But looked up into Stiles' face again. "Would you still want help studying?"

She tried to smoothly sit back up, resting her chin on her hand. "Yes. Yes I would, there are still some things I don't quite understand?"

"That's totally fine. Would Friday be ok? I just have some…stuff, to do. But I'll be free then."

"Yup, that's totally fine. All good. Yup," she rambled slightly, nodding rapidly.

"Cool," he chirped, almost turning around. He leaned back close, looking both ways before speaking in a low tone. "Was that offer of any food still on the table."

"Of course."

"Good. Good." A long pause. "Are cupcakes an option?"

"Yup."

"Maybe some sandwiches?" he asked tentatively, though his eyes flew open. "Not in a terrible, 'go to the kitchen make me a sandwich,' kind of way. Just. A sandwich."

Naja laughed, and Cassie piped up, "She actually makes great sandwiches. Not gonna lie."

"That's good to know. It'll be a good time." He turned back around, only to receive a tap on the shoulder as Naja leaned way over her bench.

"…Stiles?"

"Yeah?"

"You might need to know where I live, to be able to come over."

He turned his head to see her suppressing a laugh. "…yup. That might be helpful," he mumbled, digging around in his hoodie to find his phone.

The tinkling of the bell was beginning to become familiar, as Naja and her cat entered the clinic. Deaton was up at the front again, and he smiled and ever so slightly tilted his head towards the open gate. It elicited a quick upturn in the corner of her mouth, then it returned to the same sullen expression it had been before. Before the vet could question it, Scott popped out from the examination room, a grin on his face. "Hey Naja – holy crap! That is a _giant_ cat!" he cried out, eyes wide.

She forced a smile, a bit of a chuckle. "Hey Scott, and yes, yes she is," the girl replied, leaning to stroke under the chin of her cat. Zuma had her tail wrapped around Naja's leg, purring at the scratches before going to investigate Scott.

As her owner tried her best at small talk, she sniffed at Scott's shoe, her head pulling back. Zuma tentatively sniffed again, trying to lift up his pant leg with her head to get a closer scent. Her tail snapping back and forth a few times, the Savannah circled the slightly distracted boy, though he did look down when she started chirping and meowing. Without thinking, Naja chirped back, tilting her head in response – and then freezing when she realized what she had done.

Scott just laughed, a grin spreading across his face. "That was pretty good, I've seen people speak and sort of understand their pets – but not mimic them," he chuckled, not perturbed by her behaviour. When he leaned down to pet Zuma's head, she pulled away and scampered into the examination room. "Is she not used to new people?"

The girl laughed nervously, shooting a side glance at the vet before answering, "Not especially? Maybe there's just a scent she doesn't like." She paused for a beat to wonder if that was a normal thing to say. If it wouldn't seem suspicious. "Maybe a cleaning supply or hand sanitizer? She doesn't like when people smell chemically." That felt like a good save, and Scott just smiled and nodded, accepting it as a logical reason.

"I get that – she just wants to smell the people, not sift through a bunch of stuff."

All three of them walked into the examination room as Naja nodded in agreement. "Kind of like when someone near your table at a restaurant has too much perfume on and it's hard to smell your delicious food. Or when your whiff of bakery bread is interrupted by cigarette smoke." She was picking at her sleeve, her face returning to the downcast expression it had been for nearly three straight days. With Scott distracted by trying to get Zuma up on the table for her shot, she didn't feel the need to plaster a smile anymore.

Though it did not go unnoticed by Deacon, and when he caught her eye, she felt that wave of helplessness crash over her again. She could practically smell the blood that had screamed 'failure' at her, and felt her eyes well up with tears. Since Scott was successful with the cat, who was relatively calm now, he looked over, grinning, mouth opening to say something when he noticed her eyes. "Whoa, hey, are you ok?"

She blinked her tears away and tried to wave him off while the vet finished preparing the needles. "Yeah, uh, just personal stuff from the weekend. You know how things kind of sneak up on you? Suddenly, and kind of like makes what happened feel fresh? I was just reminded of a terrible time. And allergies, and whatnot…" Naja was still trying to wave him off, as his concerned expression was not vanishing. _Why does he have to be a nice guy?_ _Just accept it and move on…_

"Scott, if you could hold Zuma still for a minute," Deacon interrupted, and the teen complied, a gracious minute of silence filling the room. Before Scott could say anything else, the vet continued. "There you go, all good as new. And for your mom," he started, rubbing under the savannah's chin. "You can't dwell on mistakes – whether they were yours, or another's. Things will often find a way to present you with times to fix them. And if you're too busy thinking about the past, you'll miss the time to set it right."

Naja nodded, a small smile creeping across her face, though Scott looked fairly confused. "Are you sure you're a veterinarian and not a therapist?" she teased lightly, motioning for her feline to jump off the table. "Will I be getting a 'words of wisdom' fee on my bill, right next to the vaccines?"

The odd mood in the room was broken as they all laughed a bit at her quip. The rest of the conversation was light as she paid, mouthing a thank you when Scott's back was turned. He dipped his head in recognition, though his face was still concerned as she turned and walked out the door, Zuma at her heels.


	10. Coffee

It had been five days since the incident at the club, and it was only just starting to not weigh as heavily on Naja's shoulders. Despite Deacon's advice, it wasn't always easy to make the mind accept the information into the current problem. For sure it would hold onto it until the next problem, and factor it in then. However the dilemma it was facing now, it had yet to do the math completely. It was still hard to have that easy smile on her face – though she tried just so that people wouldn't get suspicious. Cassie knew, and tried not to bother her about it; she knew her friend would come out of the guilt pit eventually. Though now that she was alone in the grocery store, her sullen expression was back.

Even though she was buying things to make for her fake study session the next day – which was essentially a dream – she had been standing with the dairy fridge door open for about eight whole minutes. She'd scanned the different creams about ten times, not really reading anything. Too wrapped up in her own thoughts to realize she was getting cold, and maybe not blinking as often as she should.

"Are you trying to cool down the store?"

Naja nearly jumped out of her skin, letting go of the door to face the voice. She'd been so distracted she hadn't seen – or smelled – the intruder on her thoughts. "I've been watching you stare into the milky abyss for what seems like forever, sour puss. You've seemed off at school too. Is everything ok?"

She stiffened and pursed her lips, looking into those stupid blue eyes rimmed with concern. "You're not helping your case of _not_ being a stalker. Who just watches someone without say anything?" Naja demanded, adjusting the basket in her hand which had just registered the ache in her wrist.

"Who stands for like five minutes staring into a fridge without picking anything up?" Isaac fired back, brow arching wryly.

"Ah, ch, nnnn people, Lahey. People who are…thinking. About…things!" she choked out, heat rising in her cheeks. She turned on her heel and started stomping away.

And then stomped right back because she still hadn't gotten the whipping cream for her icing, in all that time staring. She yanked the door back open, grumbling about being interrupted, when she felt fingers brush her elbow. "Things at raves that weren't even their fault?"

Her face twisted with something between anger and pain, she whipped around to yell at him. Though when she looked into his face, she saw only understanding, and clenched her hands into fists, the basket handle digging into her palm. As much as she didn't want to acknowledge he was right, she couldn't blatantly lie to his face either, and just looked away.

"That's what I thought. Do you want to grab something to eat? Talk about it with someone who probably feels guiltier than you do?" Isaac asked, almost pleading. Maybe he really did feel worse than she did.

Naja rolled her shoulders, one after the other, as if she could just roll the emotions right off of her. The not cocky side of Isaac was somehow more uncomfortable. "I already ate. And I have groceries I need to put away so they don't go bad." She glanced at his empty hands. "Did you even come here to buy anything? Who just comes into a store to stare at other people."

He laughed, and she almost cracked a smile. "They were out of my juice, ok? But if it will make you feel better I can walk around with a pack of gum," he said with a grin. "And if no food, a coffee?"

She huffed and rolled her eyes. "I still have groceries to buy, take home, and put away."

"We could meet after? You don't live too far and there's a coffee shop around the corner, they-"

"Have great pastries, I know."

"I was going to say they have a quiet corner where we can talk, but their stuff is pretty good," Isaac corrected, though he smirked. "Who knew the sour puss would have a sweet tooth."

"Oh shut up, fine, yes. I'll meet you there in like, fifteen minutes. Just go, I don't need help carrying anything," she instructed, waving him off with the back of her hand as she walked toward the checkout. It wasn't until she got home and put everything away that she realized she still hadn't picked up a carton of whipping cream. _Lahey…this is all your fault._

So when she walked into the coffee shop, she was ready to berate him. But she didn't get the chance; when he waved her over to an out of the way table, he started talking before she could open her mouth. "I didn't know what blend you'd want, or how you took your coffee. So I bought a cup and you can just fill it with whatever you want. The coffee is all over there…but you know that already, since you come here all the time," he rambled, having stood up to hand her the mug. Her brow arched at his behavior, and she looked past him to the plate on the table. "…I also didn't know what you liked, but I figured tarts were a good option."

Still eyeing him oddly, Naja took the mug from him, and silently went to fill it up. She watched his knee bouncing speedily on the walk back, blowing over the top of her mug. "Is there a reason you're acting so weird?" she asked, grabbing a butter tart off the plate.

"I just wanted you to feel comfortable enough to talk to me, and normally I make you kind of mad, so I am trying something different. Is that a problem?" He grabbed a lemon tart while his other hand nursed his coffee.

Still eyeing him, she answered, "Yeah, a little, actually. Just…I dunno. Be normal." It was her turn to pause and smirk. "As normal as you can be, I mean."

She received an eye roll, but he bit hungrily into his tart. "So, why exactly do you feel so terrible? You weren't even in the room with him. We were right there and we couldn't do anything to stop him. What would you have done?" he asked, looking her right in the eye. It wasn't as much a challenge as it was an honest question.

"I don't know!" she cried, immediately regretting that decision and ducking down in her seat. She cleared her throat and started again, staring into her mug as she swirled the coffee around. "I don't know what I would have done. But I could have done _something_ , could have tried. But no – I was too afraid. Not afraid of Jackson, but afraid of showing myself. I literally did nothing. What did I do? Kick you a syringe? You could have grabbed that without me. No. I was afraid and did nothing, and now a girl is dead." Hot tears slowly made their way down her cheeks. "If I wasn't worried about all the problems showing myself could cause, maybe she wouldn't have died. Maybe this would all be over. I was selfish. I wanted to help so badly, but when it came down to it…"

"Hey." She didn't look up, and got a quick kick to the shin. She glared up at him, but his face was only one of sympathy. "Hey, I don't know what you think you could have done alone – all of us failed to protect her too. We even had a plan. We knew we had to work together to stop that…thing. Because when it comes out, it isn't Jackson anymore. One more person wouldn't have made a difference."

"But how do you _know_?" she hissed, gripping the edge of the table with both hands. "What if I'd made that difference? If I _had_ been in the room? And we'd all worked together. What if-"

"You can't keep going over and over the 'what ifs' Naja. Believe me. I did that before, with what my dad did…it doesn't help anything, and it's almost impossible to put it behind you if you keep going over what you could have done differently," he chided, his face all of a sudden very sullen. "You have your reasons to be afraid, so that's fine. It's not like you didn't _want_ to help. Wouldn't you feel even guiltier if you hadn't been there at all?"

Grumbling, she bit half of the raspberry tart in one bite, brow still furrowed, lips still pursed. "Of course I would have felt worse if I hadn't tried. But I could have gone all the way, and I'll forever live with that."

Isaac's eyes glowed as he glowered at her. "You're not the only one who has to live with that! We all do! Stop wallowing in self-pity and move on!" he growled, lips almost curled into a full snarl.

Naja leaned back in her seat, eyes wide. She hadn't expected him to get so angry with her. She felt like a scolded child, and fiddled with the ends of her hair, sipping her coffee. Adults drink coffee. Not children. His nostrils were still flared when she looked at him again, though his eyes were no longer golden, just that bright blue. "That's why I normally work alone, so I nobody else gets hurt. Nobody else faces what my decisions cause. The consequences of my actions should be mine and mine alone, but –"

"God! Would you shut up and be comforted?! I'm trying to make you feel better, and you're somehow making me feel worse! Just…just try and perk up ok? Even the shrimp is worried about you not snapping out of it. You haven't seen the way she looks at you lately. If you can't do it for yourself, do it for her, at least," he ranted, scowling before taking a long swig from his mug.

She'd paused at his outburst, mug halfway to her mouth, and now remembered to set it down. "You're right…" the girl mumbled, running a slightly buttery hand through her hair. "I hadn't thought of how I'd be making other people feel. I'm sorry; making you feel worse wasn't my intention."

"It's ok…" Isaac paused to half grin, half smirk at her. "You're eventually going to show me what it is you're so afraid of showing people. You know that, right?"

"I'm fairly certain I don't have to do anything of the sort. My secret will stay my secret for as long as I want it to. Maybe forever," she countered, sticking her tongue out at him.

He laughed again, holding his hands up resignation. "Alright, alright. Your secret, your timetable." He picked at the leftover crumbs on the plate between them. "But, um, as long as you're here. Could we talk about one more thing?" When he looked at her again, her eyebrow quirked, he ruffled his hair with his clean hand. "About me, not you. I mean, I don't know what exactly you're hiding, but it's something. And…I don't think you'll judge me for this. Not like I worry my pack might. But…I'm a little afraid of what will happen on the full moon. To me, the rest of the newbies. It's next week and I don't know enough to know if I really should be afraid or not."

Naja nodded will draining the last of her coffee. "I'm sure you'll be fine. I've heard that you wolves just need to focus on something, something which can keep you grounded. But it has to be specific to you. What would work for Scott or Derek might not work for you. It probably wouldn't work for you. It has to be just for you."

"So…whatever you are, you don't have to worry about the full moon?" Isaac asked, leaning forward now, more intrigued than before.

She laughed, a sharp, loud burst of laughter, and quickly ducked her head again. Obviously quiet conversation was not her strong suit. "Believe me. The only people who need to worry would be anybody else if I'm awake." She exhaled sharply through her nose, as a type of almost proud punctuation. Then she looked up into his smirking face. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," he said innocently, stretching and leaning the chair back on two legs. "You just revealed the tiniest bit of information about yourself, that's all."

A flat looked crossed her lightly freckled features as she made a kick for a raised leg. "Yeah, well. It's not like that is a big clue or anything. My secret is still in the bottle. Cat still in the bag. And don't think I'll forget that you tried to trick me into saying things about myself."

"Aw, come on. It wasn't a trick, I really meant what I said, and I'm going to try that already. Derek has been saying it all week in prep for next week," Isaac complained, all four chair legs back on the floor. "Don't go back to avoiding me now."

Standing, Naja stuck her tongue out one more time. "I will keep doing whatever I want, thank you very much." She paused as she pulled the cuffs of her sleeves back down. "Which most likely won't include avoiding you if you stop stalking me and just talk to me like a person, Lahey." With that, she waved, turned and walked out, hearing some footfalls behind her.

"Are they not big on saying goodbye in South Africa or something?" he asked, falling into step beside her, hands in his pockets.

"I was just trying to avoid this whole, slightly awkward, you walking me home…thing…" she proffered, hunching her shoulders up a little. "I know wolves operate in packs, but that's just not really my thing."

Isaac nodded, walking in silence for a few beats. "So, not a pack person, and you sleep during the full moon? Interesting, interesting." He flipped open an imaginary notebook and took down invisible notes.

Naja rolled her eyes, and shoved him a little harder than she meant to. He had to quickly shift his balance so that he didn't fall over. She smiled apologetically and they walked in silence until her building was in sight. "So, not as awkward as it could have been. Thanks for walking me home, I guess."

"It just so happens I need to walk this way to get to where I am staying, so don't get too bent outta shape over it," he teased, nudging her with his shoulder. "So, I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

She held onto the door handle, fishing her key out of her pocket, and nodded. "And I'll one day buy you coffee – I don't like feeling as if I owe people. And a sweet treat too."

"Ok, ok. If you insist, I will take that free duo," he grinned, taking a step away as she opened the outer door of the building. "Oh, and one more thing…"

"Yes?" she asked, turning to fins him leaning on the edge of the door.

"If you're going to be sort of friendly, sour puss, can you at least call me Isaac instead of just Lahey?"

She smirked back at his honest question, key turning in the inner door lock. "No promises. Goodnight, ya weirdo."


End file.
